Duel Academy's Not so Finest
by Sundown17
Summary: A Duel Academy that no one knew about has three new recruits. Everyone knows how Jaden saved the world from Kagemaru, the superintendent. What if Jaden had actually failed? What if these three new people had to step up? Who would ever expect the world to be saved by what is considered the scum of the dueling world?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: On the Way

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh GX. This is purely fictional and fan-based.

_Way to go Drake. Only you could be late on the day of an exam._ Drake thought this angrily to himself as he rushed along on his skateboard with the wind rushing through his dark brown hair that looked like freshly turned earth. He only had twenty minutes to get there and he was going as fast as he could. Suddenly out of nowhere he saw a person in front of him. He swerved just in time to avoid the guy, but the guy suddenly pulled Drake to a stop. Drake looked up as he began to spout out a few choice things, but he swallowed them as he saw who he was facing.

"Geez kid! That's some mouth you got on you" said the guy.

"You! You're Bakura!" Drake whispered in amazement.

"Indeed I am, but thankfully my troublemaking days are over. However, you seem to be a real troublemaker if you're heading to that branch of Duel Academy. You sure will need some powerhouses. Here! Take this map. It will lead you to some special cards that I'm sure will go perfectly with your deck." Bakura said as he handed three cards to him.

"Isn't this cheating?" Drake demanded as he stared in shock at the map.

"Yugi himself let me get it to give to you. He figured that eventually he would have to pass these special cards on so he wanted to give them to duelists that were sure to be able to affect the future and keep the world safe so he hid them on the island where you are heading. You have a lot to live up to." Bakura said and then began walking off.

Drake stood there looking at the retreating Bakura and then the map until he remember that he was supposed to get to the academy boat. He cursed and then, after placing the map in the deck case at his side that currently held only one card, immediately set off at high speed on the skateboard again. He reached the docks and saw that the boat was just beginning to shove off. He looked around as he continued and saw a makeshift ramp at the end of the pier. If he could time this right, then he would make it.

He sped up and in ten seconds he had reached the ramp. It was a daredevil thing to do, but that was what he did best. Whenever he did something like this, his mind was able to judge things perfectly. His mind entered the zone and he went flying through the air. He knew without looking that he would come down on the railing and adjusted himself accordingly. He came down and bounced off of the railing and landed with a screech of the skateboard's wheels that brought it to a stop.

He released a breath that he had taken before the jump and was startled by somebody clapping. Drake glanced around him and was startled by the fact that it seemed like almost everyone on board was applauding his stunt. He wasn't sure if he like this.

"That was sure something man." Said one guy stepping out of the crowd.

He actually dwarfed Drake with his six feet six inches and Drake himself was at six feet two inches. The guy's hair was blond with red highlights and was light brown in skin color to Drake's golden bronze skin due to his Native American heritage. The guy came up and held out his hand.

"My name is Ryder. What's yours?" The guy asked.

"Its' Drake. Nice to meet you." Drake said calmly and politely as he shook the guy's hand warily.

"Ha ha ha! You don't have to worry about us here. I know they say that there is no honor amongst thieves, but that ain't true, at least not here. We all know why we're here and we know that we won't survive unless we can trust each other." Ryder said with a sad smile.

"I understand. Just know that being suspicious is just a part of my nature. So don't get upset about it." Drake replied pulling his hand back.

"All right then Daredevil Drake! It's time to get to the party!" Ryder said and, putting an arm around Drake's shoulder in a friendly way, dragged him to where the others were all starting to party.

Later that night, Drake was sitting at a table in a back corner, watching everyone dancing. He took a sip of his soda and didn't move as a girl dropped into the chair next to him with a sigh. She was about five feet eight inches with red hair that had strips of green going through it, making her look like a Christmas tree. She sighed in frustration and then reached out and took hold of the cup that Drake had set down when she had appeared.

She took a sip and then set it down before her eyes widened and she looked down at the cup. She began looking around the room, trying to pinpoint the location of whoever had 'brought' her the drink. Drake smiled as he sat there in silence a moment longer, but he finally couldn't hold himself back anymore.

"May I have my drink back?" he asked and nearly doubled over in laughter as she jumped like a startled cat.

Her head whipped around to face him and her eyes widened even further, "When did you get here?" She demanded.

"I've been here this whole time." He said with a wicked grin.

"Hmph. Here!" she said with an angry jab as she handed him the drink.

He took a sip and then passed it back with a laugh. After a moment more of scowling, she finally relented and smiled as well. This was how he met Paige. The girl of complaints who could duel with the best of them.

After three days on the ship, the ship captain called them all to order in the mess hall. This meeting had been made mandatory because it was about getting into the academy. Everyone who had applied that had a record were accepted immediately and sent here. The only catch was that they could not bring any of their own cards except one to start the kind of deck they wanted to have. The babble in the room suddenly stopped as the captain stepped up onto the stage.

"Everyone. I would like to congratulate you on coming this far." The captain waited for the cheering to die down, "However, you must now understand the depth of the final stage. You all know about the one card stipulation. The reason behind it is that once you reach the island, you cannot enter the academy until you have a full forty cards. Therefore, as soon as you reach the island, you must look for forty cards, at the least, to make a deck. Only then may you enter this academy. This ship makes a trip once every year to bring food and deliver new students. Anyone who has yet to enter the academy by that time must return with us to the mainland. We arrive tomorrow at ten o'clock."

With those words he stepped down and left the room. After a moment of shocked silence, a girl jumped up shouting about how unfair that was. Drake smiled as he heard Paige's exasperated voice and stood up. He left the room and Ryder and Paige followed him soon after. He motioned for them to follow and led the way to his room on the lower deck. He closed the door after them and, after making sure that no one was eavesdropping on them, he took out the map.

"What is this?" Ryder asked as he and Paige looked it over.

"It's a map that shows the location of three very special cards." Drake said motioning for Ryder to turn it over.

He did so and their faces paled and their mouths dropped as they looked back at me.

"Is this for real?" Ryder demanded.

"So it seems." Drake said with a firm nod.

"And just how did you get this?" Paige nearly shrieked.

"I met Bakura on my way to the ship. That was why I was late." Drake said, "He told me that Yugi Moto was planning on passing on these cards and I felt that it would be wrong to hog them, so I decided to share this with you guys."

"Well, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I'm not sure which one I want." Paige said with a shaky laugh.

Both Drake and Ryder agreed, "Why don't we do this by luck? Whoever gets to each card first gets it, but if one of us already has a card, then we let one of the others get the next." Said Ryder.

"That sounds good to me." Drake said with a shrug and Paige agreed and they separated and went to their own rooms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Searching for a Deck

At ten o'clock the next morning, all of the students on the ship were lined up and making their way down the gangplank. When they reached the bottom, they were each given a duel disk that they would use for however long they were at the academy and a year's worth of food. Drake, Ryder, and Paige received theirs and quickly moved away and out of sight of the others. They took out the map and quickly checked it.

"Looks like we're going for the blue one first." Ryder said.

"Then let's get going." Paige said and Drake led the way as they traveled for an entire month across rivers and through the forests until they reached a natural cave system.

They went in and found themselves facing three tunnels. They knew that all of the tunnels led out and only one went to the card, but they weren't sure which one. They talked it over and finally decided to split up. Drake took the middle tunnel. Paige went to the right tunnel and Ryder went to the left tunnel. Drake noticed cards on the floor of his tunnel and began stopping to pick them up and kept some and placed others back onto the floor. He found six monsters that he felt would fit with his deck.

He continued on and eventually found himself in a round chamber. The walls were had a slight blue hue and in the center of the room, sitting on a pedestal, was the first card. He walked up to it warily and had almost reached it when there was a great shudder and quakes began to cause the floor to break apart. Drake grunted as he dug in and resisted the quakes as well as he could. After a few minutes when he was still standing, he found that the quakes seemed to be trying to push him forward. Still unsure, he stayed where he was. After a few more minutes the quakes stopped and he approached the pedestal again more cautiously than before.

When he reached the pedestal, a gravelly voice began emanating from the card, _"You resisted my quakes both when I tried to keep you away and when I tried to pull you forward. Only one other has ever done that. He must have put me here, hoping that I would meet someone like you. I will allow you to use my power and my card."_

"I thank you." Drake said as he reached out and grasped the card. The name on the card was Obelisk the Tormentor.

Drake put the card with the other monsters inside of his deck case. He then looked around the room and noticed two cards hovering in front of the walls. He went over to one and began looking it over. He then went to the other and looked at it.

"_Choose one and leave the other." _Said the same gravelly voice from before.

Drake nodded and went back to the other one and pulled it from the air. He then continued through the tunnel and came out the other side where the three tunnels met. He found the other two waiting for him and showed them the card. They smiled and nodded. They took another look at the map and traveled on to the next area. After a month they arrived at a forest that seemed to have an everlasting strong wind. They began making their way through the forest.

There were once again three paths. Two led straight into the forest and the other led a roundabout path through the fringes of the forest. With a nod to the others, Drake began to make his way along that path as the other two went onto one of the other paths. As he walked along, he found a few more monster cards that were perfect for his deck as well as some much needed trap and spell cards. He got to the other side of the forest and counted the number of cards he had: 12 monsters, 6 traps, and 7 spells which gave him twenty five of the forty card minimum required.

As he waited for the other two, he looked at the second monster that he had found in the caves. It was a ten star with 3000 Attack and Defense. It was called The Supremacy Sun. Drake rather liked its' effect. He had just put his cards away when Ryder stepped out of the first path with a huge grin. When Drake raised an eyebrow, he held up a yellow card. Paige came soon after and they once again set out.

The next area they came to after another two weeks was a tall mountain with a high peak. They began climbing it and soon found a single tunnel going into the peak. Drake and Ryder remained outside as Paige went in. After a few hours, Paige returned with the red card held high in the air and a huge grin on her face. They met up and brought out each of their Egyptian God cards.

Drake felt calm even as the world seemed to shake around him. He looked over at the other two and saw that strong winds had started to swirl around Ryder and streams of fire had come up around Paige. They stood that way for few minutes and then put the cards away.

"So now what do we do?" Paige asked, "We've got the cards, but now we need to finish our decks."

"Why don't you go back to the places where we found our cards and see if the cards in those areas can complete them?" Ryder asked.

"What about you?" Paige asked in confusion.

"I already have my deck. I found all of the cards that I needed in the forest." Ryder said.

"That sounds good to me." Drake said and Paige agreed soon after, "Meet us back at the gate to the academy."

So they checked the map again and soon found paths that would be the quickest back to the different domains and then found the quickest paths from those areas back to the academy. They then turned and went in their separate directions back to their domains. Drake reached the caverns in a week and spent the next three scouring the entire cave system. When he was finished, he had a total of forty five cards in his hands. He smiled to himself as the spirit of Obelisk the Tormentor appeared next to him.

"_You now have the deck that you need. Are you going to go to that academy?"_ He asked.

"Yes. The time has come to go and prove my worth. They will soon know the name of Daredevil Drake and his True Fiend deck." Drake met Obelisk's bloody grin with his own bloody grin. The sight would have made anybody afraid.

"_You do realize that even though you have my card, there isn't enough power to actually use it in a duel, right?"_ Obelisk asked him.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that it won't be useful and, eventually, you will get your strength back." Drake said as he thought, _trying to come back from down below in time to stop trouble can sure be tiring._

Drake put the deck into the deck case at his side and, speeding along on his skateboard, went out of the caverns that he now knew by heart. He spent the next two weeks of travel going over his deck and sensing the combos that he could use. He was proud of how many could get him quick wins or strong monsters out. He reached the door to the academy about three minutes after the other two did. His first look at it made him instantly wonder if there were any criminals inside. He shook his head as he reminded himself that everyone there had a record. They waited until he joined them and they all three pounded on the doors together.

"Who wants in?" shouted a voice from the other side and a panel opened in the middle of the door.

"Us three." Said Ryder.

"Do you have a full deck?" the guy asked with narrowed eyes.

"Indeed we do." Paige said and they all drew their decks out to show him, but made sure to keep the god cards out of their decks for the moment.

"Very well. What are your names?" the guy, giving their decks a cursory glance.

"I'm Ryder Garth," Ryder said, gesturing to himself, "This is Paige Turner." He gestured to Paige who stood to Drake's right, "and this is Daredevil Drake."

That got the gatekeeper's attention, "The guy who made that crazy jump onto the boat?"

Drake shook his head and slapped a hand to his face as he realized that somehow word about that had gotten around. The gatekeeper grinned and closed the panel. They stood there for a few moments and then heard the creaking of gears as the doors opened. It sounded so ominous that for a few moments they were all nervous. They steeled themselves and took their first steps into their new dueling lives.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy the fanfiction. Truly, writing this stuff is actually harder than it seems. You can get the beginning and the end, but the middle is the hard part. I have ideas for some Original Characters, but I need decks for them to use. If you have one that you would like me to use, then send it in. When giving the deck please list all cards and their effects as well as the attack and defense points of all monsters.

And thank you to Higuchimon for his constructive criticism. If you would like to find out what the cards will be used for, then continue reading.

….

Chapter 3: Proving Grounds

They took their first steps into the academy and they were met with steel walls. The place looked like it had been made for hardened criminals. Paige voiced what all three were thinking.

"Geez! It's like they consider us to be a menace to society."

"I bet I know what this place's nickname is." Said Ryder.

"If you're guessing Alcatraz, then you are correct." Said the gatekeeper from before.

The guy stepped down from the stepladder that he had used to reach the viewing area. He was kind of short at five feet six inches with black hair and green eyes. He had a slightly mousy look to him. Drake raised an eyebrow as the guy reached them.

"So what now?" Drake asked, "Now that we're inside, what are we supposed to do?"

"Well, once you're announced, you will be taken over to separate dueling arenas where you will duel to decide your rank. You will duel a new person every day and if you win against them, then you will increase in rank. If you lose, your rank will decrease."

"So it's survival of the fittest?" Ryder asked.

"That's the idea. The name is Frankie. Come to me if you have any questions. If I can help, then I will do my best. Now let's go see about getting you announced." Frankie led the way down to what looked like a main courtyard that was enclosed by walls, but had an open ceiling. There were already many duelists inside and they all looked up as the three new arrivals stepped up next to Frankie.

"Now announcing the three newest duelists to enter the halls of Duel Academy: American Branch! Paige Turner," the gatekeeper gestured to each of them as he said their name, "Ryder Gaines, and Daredevil Drake!"

"Destin." Drake said with a snarl.

"Huh?" asked the gatekeeper.

"It's Drake Destin!" Drake said as a roar went up from the people looking at them.

"Alright! Settle down, you filth! They still need to duel to check their rank." shouted one voice loudly.

A guy dressed in a blue shirt with jagged black lines cutting across it stepped forward. Drake stared and then grinned as he saw the blonde hair and bulging muscles. He stepped down the steps and stood in front of the guy. The guy looked down at him with a look of confusion in his eyes.

"You already know where to place me." Drake said, still grinning. It was a bloody grin.

"Sorry kid. Rules state that everyone has to duel for their ranks." The guy said.

"Then you and I will duel. How does that sound Hayden?" Drake laughed as everyone in the room gasped at how he spoke to the guy.

"Do I know you?" Hayden asked, with a look of suspicion.

"Duel me and see if you remember." Drake said and activated his duel disk as he moved back.

"Hmph! Well you have guts kid, I'll give you that." Hayden said and the words seemed like déjà vu to him.

"You should remember. If you come at me, prepare to lose!" Drake said and faced Hayden as they both shouted, "Duel!"

Hayden: 4000

Drake: 4000

"I'll start this off!" Hayden said and he drew, "I activate the spell card Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two more cards." He drew and then picked a card and set on his duel disk, "I summon the Vampire Lady in attack mode!" A humanoid lady appeared (A: 1550/D: 1550), "I then set a facedown and end my turn."

"I draw!" Drake shouted, "And I activate the spell Lightning Vortex! By discarding a card, all face up monsters on your side of the field are destroyed!"

Vampire Lady screeched as she splintered and Hayden grimaced as he suddenly remembered who he might be dueling.

"Next, the monster that I discarded is special summoned to my side of the field due to his being discarded by a card effect! So join the field Beiige, Vanguard of Darkworld!" Drake said and a humanoid monster with blue and white armor appeared on the field with a spear in hand, "Next I'll summon my Opticlops in attack mode and activate my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your facedown. I then attack with my two monsters." A one-eyed ogre appeared on the field next to Beiige and then they charged Hayden together (A: 1800/D: 1700).

Hayden grunts as he loses most of his life points.

**Hayden**: **4000****600**

**Drake: 4000**

Drake ended his turn with a facedown and Hayden drew a card.

"I activate the spell card Monster Reborn and bring back my Vampire Lady!" The humanoid lady came back, "But I now sacrifice her to summon my Vampire Lord!" a male form of the Vampire Lady appeared on the field, "And I attack your Beiige!"

"Now this is the Hayden that I remember!" Drake said, "It seems that your deck hasn't changed and my deck has something that you should be expecting." Beiige disappeared and a ball of pure darkness appeared in its' place, "Now come forth! Darkness Neosphere!"

Every person in the room went slack jawed as the darkness pulled back and a human figure with bandages over its' eyes stood on the field (A: 4000/D: 4000). Hayden's eyes went wide and he slumped slightly. He shook his head and looked past the monster to Drake.

"It sure has been a while Drake." Hayden said as he stopped his attack and set a card facedown, "How many wins will this make?"

"I believe that it will be exactly one hundred." Drake said as he drew his card and set a facedown before ordering Darkness Neosphere to attack. Hayden half-heartedly activated Mirror Force and Drake responded with Dust Tornado and Mirror Force was destroyed. Hayden stood there and took the two thousand damage from the battle.

**Hayden: 600****0**

**Drake: 4000 WINNER!**

Hayden sat down as he looked forward with a sad smile on his face as the room began clamoring madly.

"He-! He cheated!" someone shouted, "There was no way he could summon that monster!"

"That is the only way it can be summoned." Hayden called back and everyone went quiet.

Drake looked around and said, "The only way to summon Darkness Neosphere is to tribute a fiend monster on the field and from my hand when my opponent attacks."

"Well I for one think that that duel was awesome!" Paige exclaimed, "Now who am I dueling?"

"I'll take her on." Said a guy's voice and the people in the room parted.

"Oooo! This guy looks like he can give me a good duel." Paige said as a guy stepped up who looked like a bodybuilder. He had close-cropped red hair and was wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of blue jeans, "What's your name?"

He scowled at her and activated his duel disk, "John."

Paige smiled wider and activated her own as they both shouted, "Duel!"

**Paige: 4000**

**John: 4000**

"I draw." John said with a scowl, "And I summon my Marauding Captain to the field in attack position. I then use his effect to special summon another Marauding Captain to the field and I end my turn." Two humans came to the field with a sword in hand (A: 1200/D: 400)

"Then I draw." Paige said brightly. Her good mood was freaking out a lot of people, "First I activate the spell Double Summon! I then special summon three Gilasauruses and then sacrifice them to summon my…!" She said with a whoop.

"Paige!" Drake barked.

She glanced over innocently.

"You know that you can't play that right now." Drake said. Hayden glanced at him in confusion.

"Oh fine! You took all of the fun out of it. I sacrifice two of them in order to summon my Ultimate Tyranno!" Paige said with another whoop.

"What is so good about that?" John asked, confused, "My Marauding Captains have locked down your attacks."

"Not quite." Paige said with a smile that seemed to be trying to suck all of his grumpiness away, "Ultimate Tyranno has the ability to attack every monster on the field simultaneously. Then I summon Hyper Hammerhead. So much for your defense." The Giant dinosaur stomped on both of the Marauding Captains and Hyper Hammerhead followed up for an OTK.

**John: 4000**** 0**

**Paige: 4000 WINNER!**

The whole room was silent once again. They were all shocked at how easily their duelists were being taken out. Ryder stepped up and the people all stepped back except for one girl who gave a very unladylike snort and walked toward him.

"Looks like I'll be your opponent." She said and she raised her duel disk.

"All right. I'm Ryder. Who are you?" Ryder asked.

"The name is Cinder." She said with a smile.

"Is there an ella at the end, Princess?" Ryder asked politely with a small smile..

"Maybe if you win, I'll tell you." Cinder replied with a laugh.

"Duel!" They shouted at the same time.

**Cinder: 4000**

**Ryder: 4000**

"I'll start this!" Cindy said and drew a card, "Then I'll set two facedowns and summon my Masked Dragon in defense mode."

"Then it's my turn." Ryder said and drew his sixth card, "I summon my Red Eyes Black Chick in attack position."

Around the room, the relief on the other duelists' faces was tangible as they laughed. They were sure that this guy must be nothing at all if he was starting with such a weak monster.

"Is that it?" Cinder asked with a look of pure rage, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Hell no!" Ryder said, "I haven't even had the chance to play my combo yet. Now if you'll excuse me, I tribute my Red Eyes Black Chick in order to special summon my Red Eyes Black Dragon in attack mode. I'll activate my Heavy Storm and then send in my dragon!" Red Eyes roared and spat up a ball of fire that incinerated the Masked Dragon and dealt 1000 damage to Cinder.

**Cinder: 4000**** 3000**

**Ryder: 4000**

"My monster's effect activates!" Cinder cried, "Since he was destroyed in battle, I can special summon another dragon monster with 1500 or less Attack points. I choose my Axe Dragonute!"

"I activate my spell card Inferno Fire Blast! You now take damage equal to my Red Eyes attack points. Which means another 2400 damage to you." Ryder said with a serious look on his face.

**Cinder: 3000**** 600**

**Ryder: 4000**

"I will then end my turn with a facedown." Ryder said as a vertical card appeared on the field in front of him.

"Fine! I draw!" Cinder smiled as she saw what she had drawn, "Next I will summon my Maiden with Blue Eyes in Attack mode! I then set a facedown and end my turn."

"Oh boy." Drake said as Paige walked up to him.

"What is it?" Paige asked.

"That monster that she just summoned is a dangerous one."

"Dangerous? How? It doesn't have a single attack or defense point." Paige said confused.

"It doesn't need them." Drake said, "The card can turn itself to defense mode to negate an attack sent at it. Then she is allowed to special summon a Blue Eyes White Dragon from her deck."

"He really is in trouble." Paige said worriedly.

"_The entire world is in trouble." _A voice that reminded them of roaring flames growled out.

There was a flash of light and Drake, Paige, and Ryder found themselves standing in a room filled with shadows. Three giant beings hovered over them, a red dragon, a golden bird like creature and a giant human type figure that towered over them all.

"_Events are underway here. A power that we haven't felt in centuries is now making its' move. We don't know when it will happen. We only now that it must be stopped. You must find people to help you."_ The three of them said this and the room faded away.

Ryder shook his head as he was once again facing off against Cinder who looked at him in concern.

"I guess I have to get used to stuff like that." Ryder grumbled.

"Are you okay?" Cinder asked.

"Yeah. I draw!" Ryder grinned at what he got, "I tribute my Red Eyes Black Dragon to summon my Red Eyes Darkness Dragon!" A darker version of the Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared on the field as the original disappeared (A: 2400/ D: 2000), "My Dragon now gains 300 attack points for every dragon in my graveyard!" The Dragon roared as its' Attack points increased due to the two dragons in his graveyard. (A: 2400 3000)

"So what if you have 3000 attack points? You still can't destroy my Maiden." Cinder said with a grin.

"Don't be so sure. I know about its' ability and, to counter it, I play my Darkworld Shackles!" a chain appeared at the end of a giant iron ball that had a grinning mouth with sharp teeth. The chain that was attached to it lashed out and wrapped around the Maiden with Blue Eyes, "With this card, your monster's attack and defense points would get decreased to 100, but that doesn't matter. It's the second part, where your monster is not allowed to change its' battle position, that I'm focused on."

"But that means…!" Cinder gasped as her eyes widened in shock.

"It was a good game, but victory will be mine." Ryder said seriously as his Red Eyes Darkness Dragon attacked her Maiden with Blue Eyes.

**Cinder: 600**** 0**

**Ryder: 4000 WINNER!**

"Congratulations new duelists!" said a voice from the other side of the room and they all looked up to see the guy who ran the place. He was old at about the age of seventy six with long white hair and a frail body, "You are now the three strongest in this school. Enjoy your fame and become acquainted with the others. The time shall come when you may need to call on them." The man said ominously and then turned and walked off.

"Who was that?" Paige asked, confused.

"That was the school superintendent, Kagemaru." John said walking up beside her.

"Hmm. I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about him." Drake said and the other two nodded.

"You always have a bad feeling about everybody." Hayden said with a smirk.

"True. Maybe I'm just imagining things." Drake didn't believe what he said and neither did the others.

….

And that is Chapter 3. Please send in reviews and tell me what you honestly think. No hard feelings whether or not you like it.


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter four. I would just like to say thanks to Cody for pointing some things out to me and I hope that everyone will continue to read. Thanks for reading and please review. Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Listening in on Evil

Drake sat at the table eating his lukewarm oatmeal. It wasn't the best tasting grub, but it was what they had. He didn't look up as Paige and Ryder stumbled into the cafeteria after a full day of class. They each got a bowl and began eating, shuddering at every bite.

"How can you eat this crap?" Paige asked Drake.

"It's what we get. If you want to survive, then you eat what you can get your hands on." Drake replied, eating another mouthful.

"That's just like you Drake. Always using that same philosophy." Hayden said as he sat down on Drake's other side, "Can't you ever complain?"

"Takes too much energy. I'd rather use it for dueling or skateboarding. See y'all later." Drake said and took his empty bowl to the cleaning area and then picked up his skateboard from beside the door. He set off and zipped through the corridors, barely avoiding crashes as he focused his daredevil abilities to sense when to move. He had no idea how he did it. It was as if he could see what would happen before it did.

He came to the courtyard and found several duels taking place. Over the past three weeks, he had racked up win after win as people came to challenge him, the guy who had beaten the former number one. He knew that he had caught the attention of that Kagemaru guy. He and Obelisk were both wary of the guy.

"Hey you!" somebody shouted at Drake.

"Yeah? What do you want?" Drake asked, turning to face the guy.

"You're the one that beat Hayden right?"

"Are you here to duel me just for that too?" Drake asked in exasperation.

"No. I'm not here for a duel. Superintendent Kagemaru wants to see you in his office." The guy then turned and walked away.

Drake shrugged as he set off once again. He wondered what the guy wanted this time. Every two or three days, he would call Drake in and have him answer a bunch of questions and then run a letter to the shipyard outside the academy. It was getting annoying.

He came to a stop silently and was about to knock when he heard talking inside. Yes, he knew that it was rude, but he listened in anyway.

"Test Jaden? There? But he is one of my best students!" came the voice of someone that he didn't know.

"Then surely he will overcome the trial. If he is as good as you say then he will certainly be one of our opponents." Kagemaru replied.

"All right. I'll take him. I shall do as you say." The guy on the other side of the conversation sounded resigned.

"Of course you will." Kagemaru said and then laughed as it seemed that the conversation was over.

Drake stayed quiet for a few minutes and then knocked on the door. He went in when Kagemaru called out and stood a few feet from the superintendent's desk with his hands behind his back. For a moment they stood there in silence as the two regarded each other.

"So? Have you given anymore thought to what I asked you?" Kagemaru asked.

"Forgive me sir, but I still don't know what I think of having the world in my hand. It seems like too much trouble for me." Drake replied keeping a cool voice, like always.

"Very well. When you have the answer, come and tell me. Now take this letter to the docks and then get yourself some time to think."

"Yes sir. I shall do as you say." Drake turned and started walking towards the door.

When he reached it, he opened it and stepped out, leaving it open just enough to hear him talk about some kind of plan coming together. He set off on his skateboard once again and made it outside the walls. He paused when he was out of sight of everyone and finally did something that he had thought about doing for a while. He carefully opened the letter and stared at what it said.

_The time is about to come. You seven prepare now and wait for my signal. Soon we shall march against Duel Academy._

Drake carefully sealed the envelope again and made his way down to the docks. He was now feeling scared. His own headmaster was plotting to destroy the world? He silently called for Obelisk.

"_What is it?"_ He asked.

"I think I know the cause of the trouble. What is hidden at Duel Academy?" Drake stiffened as his mouth was automatically shut.

"_I'm sorry. I'm willing to tell you, but no one else can hear this. It is dangerous information."_ Obelisk said and the force disappeared from Drake's mouth.

"Could this have anything to do with why you three came back?"

"_Not now. Wait until we can get Paige and Ryder together. I only want to have to say all of this once."_ Obelisk disappeared and Drake made it down to the docks and then headed back up to Alcatraz.

….

Drake was walking through the courtyard when he heard Hayden calling him. He turned around and raised an eyebrow when he saw the duel disk strapped to Hayden's arm.

"You want a rematch Hayden?" Drake asked.

"Yeah. I want to see how my deck will stand up to you now." Hayden replied with a grin.

"Well alright then, but remember, if you come at me, prepare to lose." Drake said as he activated his duel disk.

"Duel!" They both shouted and a crowd gathered around them.

"I'll start this off!" Drake said and drew a card, "And I'll summon my Zure, Knight of Dark World! I set two facedowns and end my turn." A vertical card appeared behind a fiendish knight and Hayden's turn began.

"I draw and summon my Lady in Wight in defense mode!" Hayden said as an emaciated old lady appeared and sat down in a throne-like chair.

"I activate my trap card Torrential Tribute!" Drake said and both monsters on the field were destroyed by the deluge that shot down from the sky.

"Grr. I set a facedown and end my turn." Hayden growled.

"I draw and activate my Raigeki Break! I discard my Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World to destroy your facedown and Beiige immediately comes to my field from the graveyard due to his ability as well as I activate my Call of the Haunted to bring back my Zure, Knight of Dark World!" The two monsters appeared on the field and Hayden started to get worried, "Next I sacrifice both of them to summon The Supremacy Sun!" A human dressed in mixed gold and black armor appeared on the field (A: 3000/D: 3000).

"Well, dang." Hayden said as he took the three thousand points of damage.

**Drake: 4000**

**Hayden: 4000 **** 1000**

Hayden drew and smiled, "I discard one card to activate my spell card Lightning Vortex!"

Drake grunted as he withstood the blast without moving, but he thought he saw an aura around the card that was sent to the graveyard. It reminded him of…

"I then activate my Double Summon to first summon my Vampire Lady and then sacrifice her for my Vampire Lord." Hayden said and he noticed the tenseness that appeared in Drake's body, "That's right. I tribute my Vampire Lord in order to special summon my Vampire Genesis!" A giant beast appeared on the field with 3200 Attack.

"I attack your Supremacy Sun!" Hayden shouted and Vampire Genesis struck and Drake grunted and raised an arm as he took 200 damage, "I end my turn." Hayden said smugly.

**Drake: 4000 **** 3800**

**Hayden: 1000**

Drake drew and he laughed out loud at what he drew, "First! I activate The Supremacy Sun's special ability! In my standby phase after he was destroyed, I can discard a card to special summon him back to the field." A bright light appeared and The Supremacy Sun appeared.

"Why did you do that? He can't destroy my Vampire Genesis." Hayden said in confusion.

"That wasn't my main reason. It was to get a third dark monster in my graveyard." Drake said with his bloody grin across his face.

"I don't get it." Hayden said confused.

"I can only summon this monster when I have three dark monsters in my graveyard! Come out my Dark Armed Dragon!" Drake shouted in excitement. A large dragon that looked like the Armed Dragon Lv. 10 with full black armor appeared on the field, "His effect is that I can banish one dark monster to destroy a card on the field and I choose to destroy your Vampire Genesis!"

Hayden gasped as his monster was destroyed and then The Supremacy Sun followed up with a final attack that depleted his life points to zero.

**Drake: 3800**

**Hayden: 1000 **** 0**

Hayden slumped again as he was defeated yet again. He turned around to walk off, but he stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and was surprised to find Drake behind him. He looked at him in confusion and Drake made a subtle motion for Hayden to follow him. Hayden shrugged and walked out of the room behind Drake as he met up with Paige and Ryder at the entryway.

"So what is going on?" Paige asked, "And what is Hayden doing here?"

"That's what I want to know." Hayden said with his arms crossed as they walked, "Are you going to tell us anytime soon?"

"Not here." Drake turned a corner and opened a door that was halfway down the new corridor.

"A broom closet?" Paige demanded, "You brought us to a broom closet?"

"It's one of the few places that isn't bugged." Drake said.

"Bugged? Why would this place be bugged?" Ryder asked.

Drake glanced over at Hayden and raised an eyebrow. Hayden grinned as he knew what Drake what thinking.

"Think Ryder," Hayden drawled, "This place is filled with criminals. Why wouldn't they do everything they could to keep tabs on us? By the way, what did you do to have to come to Alcatraz of all places?"

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Ryder shouted and they all flinched back.

"Okay. Touchy subject. So now will you tell us why we're in this closet Drake?" Hayden asked.

"First I want to know what I felt during our duel. That power felt familiar and I want to know who it was." Drake said with his arms crossed.

"What power?" Hayden asked innocently.

"A power that felt similar to him." Drake said as he held up the Obelisk the Tormentor card.

Hayden's jaw went slack as he looked from the card to Drake. His hand began moving to his deck box that was sitting above his right hip. He drew out a single card and the spirit of the card manifested around Hayden. As soon as it did, Obelisk appeared with the other two around Drake, Paige, and Ryder. The three God Cards stared down the single monster on the other side.

"Just as I thought," Drake said as he looked at Hayden with a raised eyebrow, "Tell me, how does Dreadroot feel about the Three Sacred Beasts?"

The deathly aura that filled the room scared Paige and Ryder and made Drake feel slightly uneasy.

"I guess that answers my question." Drake said.

"Yeah, I don't think he likes hearing about them." Hayden said with a wince.

"_Well he will have to get used to it, because that is what we are here to talk about."_ Obelisk grumbled.

"_And why is that?"_ demanded a voice that was like the sound of a dusty corpse moving around after a long time of being still.

"_**Because they are currently trying to escape their bonds."**_ Said the Winged Dragon of Ra from Ryder stood.

"Well that doesn't sound good." Hayden said.

"No, it isn't," Drake said, looking Hayden and the other two in the eye, "And the one who is responsible is our dear old Superintendent Kagemaru."

For a moment there was silence and then Ryder asked, "Do you have proof?"

"That letter that I had to deliver to the harbor today? I took a look at it on my way down." Drake said.

"I don't think that Mr. Kagemaru would like that." Paige said with a wry grin.

"Do I look like I care?" Drake asked, "Anyways, it said for a group of seven to prepare and wait for a signal."

"And just what will happen when that signal comes?" asked Cinder as she stepped inside the closet with John behind her.

Drake raised his eyebrow again and then looked at Hayden, "I don't know, but I think it involves someone named Jaden. I overheard Kagemaru talking to someone else about some kind of test."

"Well, I sure don't know anyone named Jaden." John said sourly.

The others quickly admitted that they didn't know who that was either.

"Then I guess that this is where I come in." Cinder said.

"What do you mean?" Drake asked.

"She can get into the school's system and find whatever information that you're looking for." Hayden, "She's a true computer wizard."

Drake noticed the look of joy and almost rapture on Ryder's face and subtly motioned for Paige to do something about it. Paige took great pleasure in 'accidentally' stepping on Ryder's foot. Ryder barely kept himself from howling in pain as he glared at Paige and Drake.

"Alright." Drake said, "Once Cinder finds out who this Jaden is, we should start planning what we need to do. Agreed?"

The other five nodded.

"Also, could you find out who this teacher is?" Drake asked, "We need to know the identities of all allies and enemies."

"All right. Consider it done." Cinder said and they left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everybody. Sorry for the wait. College is very hard to balance sometimes. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 5: The Sphinxes Appear

Two days later, Drake was about to eat his breakfast when he heard a commotion. He looked to the doorway of the cafeteria to see Hayden standing outside with a bunch of others all exclaiming over something. Drake raised an eyebrow at Hayden who came over and sat down across from him.

"So what's all the ruckus?" Drake asked, taking a bite from his food.

"A new kid has come in and is currently dueling for his rank and so far he's beaten all comers." Hayden said with a shake of his head.

"Sounds interesting. How long before he gets to where he can duel one of us?" Drake asked.

"Not too long, maybe in another four or five duels. The kid has some powerful cards." Hayden replied.

"Well this sounds very interesting. I look forward to dueling him." Drake said and continued eating the oatmeal.

"I still don't see how you can eat that stuff." Hayden said with a shake of his head as he got up and walked off.

A little later, Drake watched from a doorway to the courtyard as he watched the new guy dueling Ryder. Drake had watched the most recent duels and he could tell how his own deck would stack up. He knew that it would go either way depending on the cards that both duelists drew. He frowned though when he felt some kind of energy radiating from the deck. It was an energy that made all of the God cards uneasy. Drake watched as the new kid attacked and defeated Ryder.

As Ryder slumped in defeat, the other kid grinned and came over to shake hands with Ryder. Drake smiled as he realized that the guy was at least a good sportsman. As Ryder got up and stepped to the side, the kid began looking around. Drake stepped out of the shadows of the doorway and the kid's eyes shot up as he caught sight of him.

"So you're the one who is going around and beating all comers, huh?" Drake asked as he raised his arm and activated his duel disk.

"Um yeah, "The kid said uncertainly, "Are you always this uptight?"

"No, but I feel that I'm going to truly have to focus to beat you. I can tell that our two decks are pretty even in terms of power. It just depends on the cards that we draw." Drake said, "What's your name kid?"

"Paul. My name is Paul." The kid said with vehemence.

"Do people give you a lot of flak over your name?" Drake said with his trademark raised eyebrow.

"Forget about it. Let's do this!"

"Duel!" They both shouted.

**Paul**: **4000**

**Drake**: **4000**

I'll start this off!" Paul said as he drew a card, "I summon my Sand Moth in defense mode and set a card face down and end my turn."

"Hmph. It's a good start," Drake said as he drew a card and saw what it was, "but you should know that if you come at me, prepare to lose. First I summon Sangan in attack mode." A fuzzy brown ball that had three eyes and looked like an evil version of Kuriboh appeared on the field, "Next I'll activate my Double Summon spell card and then activate my Soul Exchange spell card! I tribute my Sangan and your Sand Moth to summon my ace! The Supremacy Sun steps down from the heavens to strike down my opponent!" A humanoid monster appeared on the field with a good amount of black and gold armor on his body (A: 3000/D: 3000)

"I then activate Sangan's special effect. When he is sent to the graveyard, I can add a monster with 1500 or less attack to my hand. I think that I will choose my Wall of Illusion." Drake said as the card was added to his hand, "I then set a card facedown and end my turn."

Paul drew a card, "I activate my facedown trap. The Pyramid of Light!" A pyramid made of light appeared on the field behind the boy and a wave of energy rolled over from the boy, "I then activate the effect of my Sphinx Teleia! By giving up 500 life points, I can special summon her to my field. I summon her in defense mode!" A lion appeared on the field with a woman's head and she curled up on the field like a cat.

**Paul: 4000 **** 3500**

**Drake: 4000**

"I then set two cards facedown and summon another Sand Moth in defense position and end my turn." Paul said as two vertical cards appeared on his side of the field.

"I draw and activate the trap card Limit Impulse. By discarding two cards from my hand, I can special summon two Soul Tokens in defense mode. Then I activate my Heavy storm. This destroys all spell and trap cards on the field and that gets rid of Sphinx Teleia." Drake said as a powerful storm whipped up and destroyed the Pyramid of Light as well as the other two, "I now attack with The Supremacy Sun!" Paul took another 3000 damage.

Paul cursed in frustration. This guy had his deck completely outmatched! Why had he said earlier that the duel could go either way?

"I can tell that you know what this means." Drake said as he folded his arms

**Paul: 3500 **** 500**

**Drake: 4000**

"Now let's see how well your deck works for you." Drake said.

Paul ground his teeth and drew a card, giving him three. He looked at the one he just drew and then at the rest of his hand. If he could pull this off, then he could at least buy some time. He grinned as he held up a spell card.

"I activate my Monster Reborn spell card! I bring back my Sphinx Teleia! However, she won't be around for long. I now tribute her in order to special summon from my hand Exxod, Master of the Guard!" A giant being that looked almost like Exodia appeared on the field with 4000 defense, "And I end my turn with a facedown."

Drake smiled as he saw this. Now it was beginning to become a real challenge. If he didn't get the right card soon, then Paul would be able to mount a counter attack. He gave Paul a bloody grin as he put a hand to his deck and drew. He saw the card and his mind instantly snapped into that mode that he hardly ever used in a duel. His daredevil side took over.

"Alright ladies! It's showtime!" Drake shouted and the maniacal look in his eyes made everyone step back, "I activate the spell card Pot of Greed!" Drake drew two more cards, "First I will activate my spell card Stop Defense on your Exxod!"

Paul wasn't worried. Even though his monster had no attack points, he knew that he could protect his monster.

"Now I attack your Exxod with The Supremacy Sun!" Drake crowed until a barrier appeared around Exxod, "So your facedown was something to protect it, just as I had thought."

"I activated my Draining Shield. This negates your attack and I gain life points equal to your monster's attack points!"

**Paul: 500 **** 3500**

**Drake: 4000**

"You think you're safe!" Drake laughed, "Unfortunately for you, I have the quick-play spell Double or Nothing! My monster whose attack you negated can now attack again with double the attack points!"

**Paul: 3500 **** 0**

**Drake: 4000**

Paul slumped down and banged his fist against the floor, "How did you defeat me so easily? You said that, in terms of power, our decks were equal!"

Drake snorted as he turned away from the kid, "If you remember correctly, I also said that it would depend on the cards we drew."

Drake's mind went back to normal and he started to walk off when a cry went up from a person who stood in the doorway to the courtyard.

"The Superintendent has collapsed! He needs help!

There was a mad rush as the young man led the way to the Superintendent's office. Drake was near the front when they finally made it. A pair of medics were already in the room and had lifted the Superintendent into some kind of strange machine. It filled itself with fluids once it was sealed up and the Superintendent sighed in relief. He opened his eyes and tried to smile at everyone, but the facemask covered his mouth.

"Thank you my students for caring about me, but as you can see I am doing fine now. Please go back to what you were doing."

Drake started to leave with the others.

"Oh Drake!"

He stopped and turned back to face the Superintendent, "Yes Professor Kagemaru?"

"I was wondering if you had decided yet."

"I have decided." Drake said and turned away from the man, "I'm not sure what it is exactly that you are trying to do, but I will not help you."

"I see. I understand. However, the signal has already been given and there is no stopping it now."

Drake didn't even hesitate. He walked out of the room as he digested what this meant. He smiled as he realized that Kagemaru hadn't thought about what else his words had meant. Boy, wouldn't he be surprised?

Well. Something seems to be happening. If you're interested in finding out what happens next then look forward to the next chapter. Please review this one and give me your honest opinions.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: First Strike: Nightshroud of the Seven Shadow Riders

American Duel Academy (Alcatraz)

3:26 P.M.

"Hey Drake!" Cinder called from the other side of the courtyard.

Drake looked over and noticed her waving for him to come over. He got up and went over to see what she wanted.

"What is it?" Drake asked.

"I found that information. The others are meeting up." Cinder replied turning towards the doorway.

"Lead the way then." Drake replied and followed her through the hallways back to the janitor's closet where they had taken to meeting. The others were all standing there around a computer that had been set up with a packet of information on the screen.

"Well, here we are!" Cinder said with a sigh, "Now I can finally get this info out and about."

"So what did you find?" Hayden asked.

"Well the boy that Drake heard about is named Jaden Yuki. He's a first year Slifer Red who is a fantastic duelist from what I read about him. The only person that he lost to is Zane Truesdale."

Ryder busted out laughing. The others looked at him with varying looks ranging from annoyed to, in Drake's case, a raised eyebrow. Ryder finally sobered up, but still kept letting out little snorts every few minutes.

"Anyway, his current dorm headmaster is named Professor Lyman Banner." Cinder said, a little miffed at Ryder, "Also, the spirit keys have been handed out. They went to Jaden Yuki, obviously, Alexis Rhodes, Bastion Misawa, Chazz Princeton, Zane Truesdale, Vellian Crowler, and Lyman Banner, who we feel is a Shadow Rider."

"How will we keep track of what is going on?" Hayden asked, "I mean we're here at Alcatraz. What can we do?"

"_The six of us can open pathways for you to get to Academy Island._" Obelisk said from behind Drake.

"Sounds good," Paige said, "But what will everybody else think if we just disappear?"

"Who cares about that?" John asked with a smirk, "We're bad kids anyway." They all laughed at that.

"And don't think that y'all are going to leave me behind." Said a voice from the doorway.

Each of them spun to the doorway except for Drake whose hand shot out and grabbed Paul by the throat and dragged him into the room. The kid's eyes bulged as he gasped for air. Drake finally realized what he was doing and he dropped him to the floor and glared at his hand before sighing. Paul stared up at him in shock and fear.

"Sorry about that. I probably should have warned you not to sneak up on me." Drake said, "Now what did you mean by that?"

"Well…" The kid said as he slid a little way away from Drake, "I also have a stake in this. My Sphinxes want to stop those beasts from ever escaping their cage."

They all looked at each other and shrugged. Drake reached a hand out to Paul and, after a moment, Paul took it and let Drake pull him up.

"Then let's get going." Drake said and the room vanished around them.

Duel Academy Island, Japan

12:00 A.M.

Chancellor Sheppard looked solemnly up at the sky as the rain rushed down upon the island. He watched the lightning flash here and there and then noticed a shadow gliding through the sky. His frown deepened and he spoke.

"And so it begins. The fight. The war!

….

Nightshroud looked out over the island and laughed as the necklace that he wore began to shine.

…

Slifer Dorm

Syrus and Chumley both cringed as the lightning flashed yet again.

"Room for one more down there?" Chumley asked Syrus in fright.

Syrus watched Jaden turn over and wondered, "Just how can he sleep through this Chum? There is thunder and lightning."

"Uh, Sy. Forget about the guy who can sleep. Worry about the guy who can't! Hold me!" Chumley replied desperately

Professor Banner's class

11:35 A.M.

Jaden stirred and yawned as he finally got his head off of the desk in front of him. He stretched and then laughed in excitement.

"It's time to get up!" Jaden said excitedly.

"You mean for the next class?" Syrus asked.

"No. For lunch!" Jaden said as he took out the box that held his lunch, "Oh yeah. The one subject I can't get enough of!" He opened it up and quickly stuffed a fried shrimp into his mouth.

"Just a moment there Jaden." Banner said from his desk, "I'm afraid your lunch will have to wait. It seems that Chancellor Sheppard wants to see you."

"Huh?!" Jaden said in surprise.

"Hey Jaden." Chumley said, "I'll watch your lunch for you, especially if you have a side of grilled cheese"

"Hah! You wish!" Jaden said with a piece of shrimp hanging out of his mouth.

"Chancellor Sheppard? Ah Jay! What did you do?" Syrus asked in annoyance.

Maybe it's good. Like an award!" Jaden replied with a thoughtful look.

"Heh heh! No way! It's never a good thing when Sheppard wants to see you. Admit it! You're so busted!" Chazz laughed from where he stood.

"Actually Chazz," Banner said, "He has asked to see you as well."

"Do wha-?" Chazz spluttered.

"And two others as well," Banner said, "You, Bastion." Bastion stood up, "And you Alexis." She stood up as well.

"This doesn't sound good." Jaden said, worried.

"It shouldn't a person whispered from the doorway as he stepped quietly to the side as the called people came out.

11:40

Chancellor Sheppard's Office

"You don't have to escort us Banner. It's not like we're going to run." Jaden said in confusion.

"Yes I do. You see, he wishes to see me as well." Banner said as they saw Zane and Crowler coming from the other way.

"Well well. Look at this convocation of students! Some of the best duelists in the school I see." Crowler said and then leaned over to look at Jaden, "Uh-oh! One of these things is not like the other! Clearly someone is lost!"

"No he isn't." Jaden said with a smile, "Chazz was invited."

"He was talking about you idiot!" Chazz hissed angrily.

They turned and walked into the office.

….

"The three Sacred what cards?" Jaden asked in surprise.

"Beasts. And due to their colossal might they were hidden here." Chancellor Sheppard said solemnly.

"Sweet!" said Jaden with a hand to his chin, "So like in a cookie jar or under a mattress?"

"They aren't in a cookie jar," Sheppard said with a smile, "They are much closer than you would ever think. Right below you!"

Jaden and the others were shocked. Something this dangerous and powerful was hidden on their island?

"You see, this academy was built in part to protect the three Sacred Beast cards. They were buried deep underground, their power sealed safely away. After all, legends say that if these cards ever see the light of day, terrible things will happen. Buildings will crumble. Light will fade. Souls will fall! Our world will be no more." Sheppard said.

Alexis gulped.

"No more?" Bastion whispered.

Chazz just hmmmed.

"So where are these cards?" Jaden asked, "I say we take them out for a spin."

"Haven't you been listening?!" Crowler shouted angrily.

"So this is why you are here: to protect these three cards from the Wicked Ones."

"The Wicked Ones?" Zane asked.

"Yes. They are a group of seven Shadow Riders who have made it their purpose to find and release the three Sacred Beasts for their own purposes." Sheppard said, "And one of them has already come. He arrived in the thick of last night's storm!"

"Naturally." Bastion said sarcastically.

"Okay, so how do we protect these cards?" Alexis asked.

"By protecting the seven spirit gates!" Sheppard said, "To get to the cards, one must unlock them. And to unlock them one must gather the seven keys for each gate. That is how we will protect the cards, by protecting the keys! And here they are. One for each of you to guard."

The seven duelists all gasped in surprise.

"Wait." Bastion said, "We hold the keys? But won't that make us targets?"

"It's true. By holding these keys the shadow riders will seek you out." Sheppard said.

"Seek us out?!" Chazz said, "You mean take us out."

"Only in a duel!" Sheppard said.

"A duel?!" Bastion exclaimed.

All of the others stared in shock.

"That's right!" Sheppard said seriously, "Fortunately for our side, the keys can't merely be stolen. An ancient edict says that the keys must be won in a duel. And so I have called up this school's seven best to fight the good fight!" Sheppard then coughed and said, "Well five best really, but I needed seven so…"

"He certainly doesn't mean me." Crowler said to Jaden, leaning towards him.

Jaden just closed his eyes and hmmed.

"Of course," Sheppard said taking a box out of his desk, "If any of you don't feel up to it or feel like backing out, I won't blame you. After all, these shadow riders play for keeps. So? Who feels like saving the world?"

As the others all looked around, Jaden grinned and laughed, "Count me in!" He picked up one of the keys, "Look at that! It's just my size!"

Zane laughed and reached for one, "I, too, accept."

"It would be my honor." Bastion said as he took another key.

"I don't want you boys having all the fun." Alexis said as she took her own key.

Chazz just reached out and took a fifth one.

"How could I refuse?" Crowler asked with a smile, "Why our very world is at stake! Our way of life. Our school. And if I said no, I wouldn't get this very posh piece of jewelry."

"Yes, well." Sheppard said a little uncertainly, "It's good to know that you are doing this for the right reasons. Kind of."

"Well then, I'm the last one." Banner said stepping up to take the last key.

"Well, let's get started!" Jaden said, "I think the best duelist should go first so that means… well me!" He said with a grin.

"You?! You couldn't beat a drum!" Crowler exclaimed, causing Jaden to fall, "If anyone it should be me and if not mean then Zane. I mean after all he did beat Jaden. That's right," Crowler leaned over Jaden who was using the desk to help hold himself up, "I know all about your little duel with Zane. And I say little because I heard that you lost in no time at all. How pathetic!"

Jaden could do nothing but stammer as he sweated.

"Ah forget 'em both! I'm clearly the best choice." Chazz said.

"There is no choice!" Sheppard said angrily, "This is no tournament where you choose who duels whom! This is war. And you could be attacked at any time and any place! So my students! Be on guard!"

The seven of them left and Sheppard slumped into his seat with a hand to his head as he sighed. He was then surprised by a voice that came from behind him.

"It's hard to believe that this world hangs in the balance and we have to rely on that Jaden kid for now." One of seven people said as he climbed back to the top of the academy. Six others stood there waiting for his verdict, "It will be a miracle if he wins every time."

"We'll just have to see what happens." Said another and they all nodded and split up.


End file.
